CU Buffs great Deon Figures named to College Football Hall of Fame | Colorado Sunshine
Atlanta Falcons Tony Smith (28) outdistances Pittsburgh Steelers Larry Griffin (22) and Deon Figures (21) on his way to returning a kickoff 97-yards for a touch down on Sept.27, 1993.(AP Photo/Ric Feld)
Ric Feld
Where good news shines
Above all, Deon Figures was clutch.
Now the CU Buffs great is a Hall of Famer.
Figures, a defensive back who helped Colorado to the 1990 national championship, has been named to the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2024. He will be the 11th Buffalo enshrined in the Hall of Fame, joining Rashaan Salaam, Michael Westbrook and Alfred Williams as Bill McCartney-coached Buffs in the exclusive club.
Figures was a consensus first-team All-American pick at cornerback after the 1992 season. That season, he had six interceptions and allowed only 12 pass completions. He was the Big Eight defensive player of the year that season.
His clutch gene was on display during the national title campaign. Figures made a pair of game-saving interceptions — one in a 20-14 win over Washington, one in the Orange Bowl in a win over Notre Dame.
Figures was inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
(“Colorado Sunshine” celebrates the good news in sports. Suggestions encouraged through Denver Gazette sports editor Paul Klee at paul.klee@gazette.com.)
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